The Sun Devils’ front four has been one the most impressive units during the team’s March/April practices. ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said it was the group he’s been the most impressed with during spring while also adding each individual talent is playing “at the best level they've played at since I've been here.”

There is no substitute for experience, and therefore, the group's success was due in large part to its returners. Arizona State returned all four linemen who produced double-digit hurries the previous season, a quartet of seniors in Justin Wodtly, Clayton Smith, Prince Dorbah, and Elijah O’Neal)

Defensive line coach Diron Reynolds said his players exhibited the ability to process more quickly because the groundwork was laid in 2024, Reynolds’ first year in Tempe. This allowed him to experiment with different styles and place players in more challenging situations than they faced during the previous season, all while elevating their well-established leaders.

“Having a veteran group, we threw a lot of things at them this offseason,” Reynolds said. “A lot of situational stuff. Just trying to get them queued in the situational stuff. Last year was just more meat and potatoes, finding out who everybody is, and now that you know who they are, you can force more stuff on them. It's been really good. Our offense gave us a bunch of different looks. We had an opportunity to adapt to them; it's been a really good spring.”

The increased pressure at the line was evident on the first day of camp, with Dillingham praising players like senior defensive lineman Clayton Smith and junior defensive lineman CJ Fite for looking like "different human beings" as a result of their offseason work to help bolster this line into a more productive unit than last season.

Last season, the line's bread and butter was the run defense; ASU allowed 1,581 total yards on the ground for an average of 112.9 a game, ranking first in the Big 12. Consequently, opponents aimed to beat the Sun Devils in the air, and Arizona State’s defensive line at times struggled to make an impact in that area.

Last season, ASU registered only 24 sacks, ranking 87th in the NCAA, as Pro Football Focus gave ASU's defensive line a 58.7 pass rush grade, ranking 132nd of 134 FBS teams. That aspect was Reynolds' main frustration last year: despite how effective the defense was overall, teams threw the ball at a higher rate (53.71%) because they usually had ample time to survey their options.

“We’ve got to do a better job just getting them down,” Reynolds remarked. “You go back and count some of the opportunities. I can count at least 15 opportunities where we had them dead to rights and just didn't get them down… Just knowing where your help is sometimes and letting your leverage side turn the quarterback back to where your help is, and not missing him and letting him get out of the pocket.

“So we got to do a better job keeping that net around the quarterback, so not just one guy can have a chance to sack them; all of them can.”

The critical moment that ASU supporters will remember for a long time is the 4th-and-13 in the Peach Bowl against Texas when ASU blitzed and generated absolutely no pressure against the Texas offensive line. A stop there would have netted the Sun Devils their first-ever College Football Playoff win in school history, placing them in the championship semifinals.

That has been a significant portion of the "situational stuff" Reynolds was referring to. Given his confidence in the unit as a whole, Reynolds's freedom to focus more specifically on moments has allowed him to work on drills where they have to effect pass disruption, which has made a significant difference in the line's effectiveness.

Defensive ends Clayton Smith and Prince Dorbah, two impact players from last season who know this team expects more from them, have been the driving force behind this unit's success throughout camp.

“I think Clayton and Prince have really taken a step forward. I've seen them talk a lot more,” Reynolds noted. "... I'm pushing them to be leaders more. That's why you probably see me fall back and be a little quieter because I need them to lead. They're the players on the field. They're the ones that have to fix it. So, as coaches, just trying to give them tools so they can be in those situations so they can be more vocal and communicate on the field. And that's what we're pushing towards this year.”

Every position coach has high hopes for their group, and it's understandable given the previous accolades and season-to-season jump seen during camp. Reynolds has clearly stated that he is one of them, as has linebackers' coach AJ Cooper.

Caleb McCullough was one of the unit's significant subtractions, but with seniors Keyshaun Elliot and Jordan Crook leading the way, it's still created a veteran top half that Cooper has been able to try some of the same spring methods Reynolds did; with so many returners, he's been able to implement that "next step" mindset.

“Just speaking as a linebacker schematically, I think they're doing a really good job of taking the next steps and understanding whether it's splits and route concepts and tendencies or backfield sets. In adjustments, layers as we call them, we can add to the defense that help those guys play faster to mitigate the weaknesses. I really appreciate Coach Arroyo and our offense as far as the things that they put in to really challenge us, schematically and defensively. There have been some really good concepts that are really hard on us; we just have to keep building and growing off those.”

Cooper stated unequivocally that "every guy in the group has gotten better this spring" but also acknowledged that the squad still has a long way to go. Dillingham even stated early in the spring that the linebacker group was "one of the most improved," but Cooper only responded that he respects the confidence but wants to keep raising the bar, implying that he isn't pleased with a paltry most improved award; he wants MVP.

Looking ahead, this group's offseason will be determined by their work in the weight room. The installs and situations assigned to them during spring camp are one thing, learning the scheme and what will be expected of them is another, but conditioning and having Cooper's unit ready for the entire season will be another.

"The weight room doesn't lie,” Cooper said. “What they do in the weight room and then what they do with Coach Joe, in the conditioning aspect, that doesn't lie. First and foremost is pushing those guys there. It's obviously creating the plan to see where they need to go nutritionally and weight-wise, based on who they are, their conditioning levels, their weights, the body fat percentage. We need to attack that. That the best chance we're going to give for success next fall and getting better every day is attacking in the weight room, attacking conditioning, and not being honest, not listening to all the outside stuff."

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